Everyone celebrates the arrival of a newly born baby into the world and that for many reasons. People react differently when they see a newly born baby. For most ladies, their reaction is always something like, “Hunhun, the baby is so cute!” For guys, a simple congratulation to the parents will suffice. However, I have found out that it is not so much about having a baby but taking adequate care of the baby especially at infant stage.
According to the CIA world factbook released in 2015, Nigeria ranks 10th in the world with an infant mortality rate of 74.09 deaths/1,000 live births. Infant mortality is the number of infant death under one year old per 1,000 live births in a given year. If this figure is going to be reduced drastically in this year 2016, then among other things the importance of breastfeeding babies must be emphasized.
Breast milk is actually the best source of nutrition for a baby. Breast milk contains all the vital nutrients and vitamins that a baby needs in the first six months of life. It will interest you to know that breastfeeding is not just good for the infant’s health but also for the mother’s.
Here are five basic reasons why mothers must breastfeed their babies.
• Breastfeeding protects the baby from having allergies and other health issues: It has been discovered that babies fed on a formula based on soy or cow milk have a higher chance of developing allergic reactions than breastfed babies. The immune factors in breast milk allows the baby to develop a layer of protection in the wall of the intestine which protects the baby from allergies, inflammation and other health problems. Babies who have not been breastfed lack this protection and thus, are vulnerable.
• Breastfeeding protects the baby from obesity: If you are a guy and you are obese, don’t go blaming your mum. But really, a research finding published in the American Journal of Epidemiology revealed that a child’s likelihood of being overweight as a teen or adult is reduced by breastfeeding. Other factors that affect this are the longer the baby was breastfed and if the baby was solely breastfed.
• Breastfeeding boosts the intelligence of a child: A link between breastfeeding and the intellectual capacity of a child has been found by researchers. This effect has been attributed to the presence of the fatty acids in the breast milk
• Breastfeeding reduces a mother’s level of stress and the risk of developing postnatal depression: According to research findings, many women have reported having a relaxed feeling while they breastfeed their babies. This is so because the act of nursing causes the oxytocin to be released. Oxytocin promotes relaxation and nurturing. It also aids the contraction of the uterus after birth leading in less postnatal bleeding.
• Breastfeeding reduces the risk of a mother developing some types of cancer: There is an appreciable amount of research to back the fact that the longer a woman breastfeeds, the more protected she will be against ovarian and breast cancer. Nursing for at least a year has appeared to have the most protective effect.
Basically, most women breastfeed their children. However, the benefits of long term nursing on both the mother and child cannot be overemphasized. As much as possible, women should endeavour to breastfeed their children exclusively for six months and longer if possible.
Hopefully, this post has been helpful. Please feel free to drop a comment or even a question in the comment section below. You can also, actually you should, share this post on all your social media platforms.
